Dean Allen

England's ‘golden age’: imperial cricket and late Victorian society

For Patrick Morrah, the ‘golden age’ of English cricket came at the dawn of the twentieth century, spanning the two decades between 1895 and 1914 (Morrah, P. The Golden Age of Cricket. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1967). Beginning in 1895 and the burgeoning of the ‘Indian summer’ of W.G. Grace, the game was as popular as ever in the home country, while overseas crickets influence had spread to all boundaries of Britains empire. This article will explore the growth of crickets significance during the latter part of the nineteenth century – a time when within Britain and Her colonies, such as those in South Africa, the game came to symbolise the very essence of English, Victorian society. The article will investigate issues of race, gender and professionalism within the world of cricket as well as those institutions responsible for shaping the sport into the revered and exclusive ‘Englishmans game’.

South African cricket and British imperialism, 1870–1910

During the later years of Queen Victorias reign, cricket was as popular as ever in the home country while overseas the games influence had spread to all boundaries of Britains Empire. It was during this period too that South Africa, one of Englands most recent ‘cricketing colonies’, was experiencing major transition in both society and structure. This essay will explore the early development of cricket in South Africa and investigate its link to British imperialism and colonialism. It will highlight how key agencies and individuals were pivotal in the process of securing the early cricketing ties between England and South Africa. The essay will also investigate the growth of crickets political significance during the latter part of the nineteenth century – a time when within Britain and her colonies, the game came to symbolize the very essence of an exclusive white, Victorian society.

Tours of Reconciliation: Rugby, War and Reconstruction in South Africa, 1891–1907

Former South African Rugby Board President A.J. (‘Sport’) Pienaar once reflected that rugby football was the ‘greatest cementing influence between the Afrikaans and English-speaking sections in the country’. 1 Indeed, when Mark Morrison brought the British Isles team to South Africa in 1903, it was, according to rugby historian Paul Dobson, as ‘a tour of reconciliation’. This was, he added, ‘rugbys contribution to healing the sad and painful wounds of the Anglo-Boer War’. 2 This article will explore the significance of the early pioneering tours as well as the nature of Anglo-Boer relations leading up to the South African War of 1899–1902. Significantly, the post-war tours of 1903 and 1906, the year of the first oversees rugby Springboks, will be examined as early examples of sport being used in South Africa to reconcile a divided society.

‘The successes and challenges of hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup’: the case of Cape Town, South Africa

In 2010 the FIFA World Cup finals were held on the African Continent for the first time with South Africa chosen to host the month-long event. Crucially, the hosting of such a prestigious tournament was seen as a chance for South Africa to prove to the world that as a developing nation it could successfully host an event of this magnitude. Using contemporary reports and incorporating findings from in-depth interviews conducted with national and regional event and destination stakeholders, this paper explores the challenges and successes of hosting the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Primarily, focusing on the experiences of the host City of Cape Town, this study investigates the branding opportunities and challenges associated with the 2010 tournament as well as actual impact and legacy of the event on social factors, such as nation building, social cohesion and racial integration.

‘The race for supremacy’: the politics of ‘white’ sport in South Africa, 1870–1910

In line with policies of imperialism, Britons of the late Victorian era believed themselves to be superior culturally, economically and politically when compared with other groups of people. This led to a promotion of things British, including sport, in the new regions of the Empire. In South Africa, however, this imposition of culture alienated an Afrikaans population, who, despite their European origins, were now as much a part of South Africa as the other groups that inhabited this area. Based on research conducted in South African archives over the past decade, this article examines the early development of ‘white’ sport in South Africa and its link to the politics of the late nineteenth century. Although a significant amount of work has concentrated on ‘race’ relations between black, coloured and white participants in the history of South African sport, this investigation reveals how the progress of sports such as cricket, rugby and soccer was tied to an antagonistic relationship between the two dominant white factions – the Afrikaners and the British. As such, this article marks an original contribution to the field.

South African Cricket, Imperial Cricketers and Imperial Expansion, 1850–1910

‘It has become an accepted fact,’ declared one South African observer in 1915, ‘that where Englishmen are banded together, either by reason of duty, self-advancement or force of circumstances, there cricket will be played.’[1] Indeed, throughout the British Empire cricket had followed on the heels of exploration, military might and political intervention in establishing a British code of civilization in foreign territories. This article will explore the early development of cricket in southern Africa and investigate its symbiotic link to British imperialism and colonialism. The origins of the game in South Africa will be examined as well as its development up to 1910 (the date of Union in South Africa) as a site of a burgeoning imperial ‘brotherhood’ between Britain and its most contested colony.

Bats and Bayonets: Cricket and the Anglo-Boer War, 1899 /1902

Cricket is perhaps the quintessential English game, evoking images of green fields and dreaming spires. ‘No other game’, writes Hughes, ‘captures the peace and tranquillity of an English summer afternoon quite like cricket.’ 1 Just as cricket speaks of England at peace, so too, perhaps because of Newbolts much-quoted ‘Vitai Lampada’, was it bound up with England and the way she saw herself at war. Inevitably when war descended upon England and her colonies, cricketers rallied and were rallied to the ranks. And wherever the fight took them, cricket went too. The Duke of Wellington watched his guards playing cricket at Enghien a few days before Waterloo and on the day after the battle of Chernaya in the Crimea a match was played between the Guards division and the ‘Leg of Mutton Club’, a team of officers from other regiments.2 The Anglo-Boer War of 1899–1902 was no different. Former teammates were forced onto opposing sides and some fine cricketers were killed. Yet on more than one occasion it was the game of cricket that crossed the conventional boundaries of politics and warfare. It is no surprise, then, that with the conflict coming at a time when cricket had already established itself within the colonies of Southern Africa, cricket and war should become inexorably linked.

‘National Heroes’: Sport and the Creation of Icons

Throughout its history different sporting forms have contributed to the concept of national identity or nationalism. A major part of this process has involved the creation of sporting heroes or icons. This current collection aims to contribute to research in this area by focusing upon a wide variety of examples exploring the cultural contexts in which these icons or heroes have been created. As a summary to the collection, this paper will examine the case studies offered here among others, and explore how sporting icons have been used to create or enhance a sense of nationhood for the countries in which they exist. This paper will also investigate how some sporting heroes, often considered to have had a transformative impact on their sport (either on or off the field of play), have become icons of a particular time period or era and how such sporting ‘heroism’ has been developed. The genesis of this collection arose from a belief on the part of the editors that in many ways the history of sport in particular nations can be embodied by the reputation and/or actions or life experiences of certain individuals. Indeed, through a detailed analysis of the historical contribution offered by such individuals it is often possible to identify wider issues around nationhood, ethnicity, race, sexuality and gender. Thus the aim of this special issue has been to bring to the fore a number of case studies, from different parts of the world and across different sports, of individuals who capture the essence of a nation, a movement or a cause through their involvement in sport.

‘Captain Diplomacy’: Paul Roos and the Creation of South Africa's Rugby ‘Springboks’

The iconic Springboks are not only synonymous with South African rugby but with South African national identity as a whole. Based on research gathered within South Africa over the past decade, this paper explores the creation of the Springbok identity with particular focus on the historic 1906 rugby tour to Britain and France – the first by a South African team overseas. Set against the backdrop of political instability and racial tension within South Africa, the tour took place only four years after the end of the Anglo-Boer War and was used as an opportunity to unify the divided nation. This paper will explore the role of Paul Roos, captain of the 1906 side, on this tour and the iconic status that this Afrikaans schoolteacher has since achieved within South African rugby folklore.

‘A man's game’: Cricket, war and masculinity, South Africa, 1899–1902

As practitioners of the imperial sport of the Victorian age, cricketers rallied whenever war descended upon England and its colonies. The South African War of 1899–1902 was no different. Adding to existing work on crickets imperial development within South Africa, this study marks a significant contribution to research on the link between masculinity, war and sport during the Victorian era. A concept emerging from the English public schools of the mid- to late nineteenth century, the masculine ethos of sport and military honour had reached colonial South Africa by the outbreak of war in 1899. In its analysis of cricket and masculinity, this essay examines the events surrounding the war in South Africa and provides an example of the distinct relationship that existed between the military and the masculinity of sport and its organisation during this era.